Yellowstone National Park is just minutes away from the ranch.

Take a day-trip into the park to scratch the surface of what it has to offer, including sputtering mud pots, soaring geysers, wildlife around every corner, and towering waterfalls. The ranch is only about an hour away from Old Faithful and many of the park’s most visited thermal features.

Head south of Yellowstone for unforgettable jagged mountain vistas or phenomenal day hikes in Grand Teton National Park.

While these parks make excellent long day trips from Elkhorn Ranch, many of our guests prefer to spend more time there, choosing to fly in to Salt Lake City or Jackson Hole, Wyoming a few days before their stay at Elkhorn Ranch or staying a few days after to more fully experience the natural wonders of these neighboring parks.

Whitewater Rafting or Scenic Floats

The Gallatin has whitewater trips suitable for ages 6 and up with fun, safe class II and class III rapids.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, take a whitewater trip down the Mad Mile, which is actually a mile and a half of continuous whitewater. These roaring rapids can reach class IV when runoff is high, making it a more challenging, adrenaline-fueled outing.

You can also take scenic floats from Big Sky which will give you a taste of scenery of the river without so much bucking and splashing.

Many of our guests choose rafting for their Wednesday afternoon activity after a breakfast ride.

Big Sky offers plenty of land-bound activities as well, including bike rentals, zip lines, or riding the tram to the top of Lone Peak. Some even enjoy just exploring Big Sky’s shops and galleries.

Guided Fly Fishing by Horseback into Yellowstone

Fly fish Yellowstone on a horseback fishing trip.

Elkhorn Ranch is a licensed operator for guided horseback fly fishing in Yellowstone, a service we only offer to our extended family – our dude ranch guests.

We start our fishing expeditions by trucking 10 miles down the road and riding on horseback into Yellowstone for an hour to an hour and a half. This gives guests a taste of fly fishing instruction and Yellowstone fly fishing combined with the unique experience of a horseback ride through the park.

Fishing out on your own is another option for guests at the ranch.

Blue-ribbon streams and rivers abound near Elkhorn Ranch, whether you want to fish the popular Gallatin River on the ranch’s boundary, the nearby Yellowstone or Madison Rivers, or any number of creeks, including those in our corner of Yellowstone National Park.

And if you’d like more instruction, want to learn local secrets for fishing high mountain streams, or would like to cast flies while floating down a scenic river, we can connect you with great local guides.

Whatever fly fishing you prefer, Elkhorn Ranch’s location and guest schedule will allow plenty of family time and access to some of the best trout fishing in the western U.S.

Hiking at the Ranch - or in Yellowstone

Take a trail map and chart your own adventure.

Chart a path from the many trails that lead out from the ranch, walk along the nearby Gallatin River, venture into the Gallatin Canyon for miles of new country, or drive a little north to hit easy, amazing hikes like Lava Lake or more moderate, but rewarding hikes like Ousel Falls.

Or you can always head south into Yellowstone to find more hikes than you can shake a hiking pole at.